Faculty and students gathered at the Egan Chapel on Tuesday to honor Julia Sill, who tragically
passed away on Tuesday morning.

Students squeezed
inside Egan Chapel last
night in remembrance of
beloved classmate Julia Sill
’13. Fr. Michael J. Doody,
S.J. presided over the prayer
service that allowed friends
and family to grieve the
sudden death of a fellow student. The Egan Chapel was
filled to capacity, exhibiting
the strength of the Fairfield
community in a time of
Julia Sill ‘13
sorrow.
Sill came to Fairfield from California, and
was described by her friends as funny, spontaneous and happy. She lived in Claver Hall
and was an active member of Glee Club, which
made their presence at the service even more
meaningful.
In the middle of the service, people were
allowed to offer their prayers by sprinkling
incense on burning charcoal—the idea being
that the smoke that rose towards the ceiling
was the physical manifestation of the members’ thoughts and condolences for Sill and
her family.
The prayer service included an acoustic
rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young;” and
readings were done by friends Kevin Bachman
‘13, Lindsay Hillas ‘13 and Annie Coyle ‘13;

three girls—Amanda McKane ‘13, Diana Lordi
‘13 and Brittany Lane ‘13—closed the service
with goodbye letters.
Poster-boards in the vestibule of the Egan
Chapel and a slideshow of Sill and her friends
downstairs in the McGrath commons gave people another look at the girl who was described
as lovely, amicable and caring. Fr. Doody
ended the service by reminding the attendees
to use this as a quiet time to enjoy with friends
and to try not to give in to temptations.
Sill, a sophomore majoring in Communications in the College of Arts & Sciences,
was found dead in her Claver Hall dorm
room Tuesday.
The Fairfield Police Department reported
that Sill was found with a self-inflicted injury,
and that there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death and no reason to
believe that anyone else was involved.
Sill’s parents, who live in California, were
notified of their daughter’s death early Tuesday
morning. An email sent by Mark C. Reed, V.P.
of Administration and Student Affairs, Tuesday
afternoon notified the University community.
The University informed members of the
Fairfield community that Counseling Services,
Campus Ministry and Residence Life are available to those coping with this sad situation.
Space in the third floor lounge in Claver Hall is
also being set up for students to contact support
services.

Seniors Smile at New Parking Availability near Village
By Annie Rooney
Executive Editor

The long ten-minute walks are over and the vacancy is
now filled. Seniors living in the village can now park in the
new parking lot, across from the Quick Center.
In an e-mail sent last Wednesday to senior village residents, Dr. Mark C. Reed, V.P. of Student Affairs, stated that
the changes to make parking available in the lot across from
the Quick Center will be implemented to those seniors living
in one of the Village area residences.
However, part of the compromise states that students
with the gold village parking sticker will be asked to move
their cars on the occasion of Quick Center demands.
Last fall semester, Fairfield’s student Inter-Residential
Housing Association (IRHA) addressed Student Affairs with
the parking request to consider the opportunity for student
parking in the newly expanded Quick Center parking lot that
is often vacant.
Kevin Reda ’13, director of student affairs for IRHA
worked with Carly Bock, President of IRHA to initiate the

compromise. Reda is under the impression that every senior
who requested parking in the lot will receive a gold parking sticker, granting them a more easily accessible spot for
parking near the Village. As of now, he believes there will be
about 50 spots available.
Reda said the compromise was a long process. The first
meeting between IRHA and Student Affairs ended with an
assignment for Public Safety to first audit the parking lot
throughout the remaining months of the semester.
“We are always open to finding workable solutions if
and when they may exist,” Reed said.
After Public Safety reported their review, IRHA met
again with student affairs and made the compromise.
Seniors living in village residencies would now be allowed
to park in the quick center lot as long as they abide the
compromise and move their cars for popular Quick Center
events.
“These situations usually involved a popular performance or event in the Quick Center, coupled with graduate
classes or other activities in the evening in the Dolan School
of Business, or another special University function or event,”

Reed said. He hopes this part of the compromise will not be
too inconvenient and students will not have to move their
cars often.
“They will probably have to move their cars 6 or 7
times,” Reda said and believes this is a fair trade off . He
hopes the seniors will play by the rules to ensure future
senior parking in the Quick Center lot. “Let’s not throw it
away,” he said.
Brittany Martin ’11 who lives in the apartments and was
frustrated with parking across campus in the Regis Hall lot
is now very appreciative of the new parking option. “It’s a lot
more convenient. I can actually get places,” she said. “I feel
like [the price of parking sticker] is worth my money now
because I paid the same amount as everyone else.”
In attempt to continue to gain more student recognition, IRHA is working hard on reforming the guest pass
policy and establishing a new lottery system for the new
residences that will open next year.
“Your IRHA representatives are to be commended for
their approach to this matter,” Reed said.

Peter Caty/The Mirror

IRHA and the Administration have reached a compromise over parking in the much debated Quick Center Parking lot.

By Amber Nowak
Associate News Editor
Green supporters may find reason to praise Fairfield
University’s environment-conscious efforts. The Fairfield
University Jesuit Community Center was honored by the
American Institute of Architects (AIA) last December for its
environmentally friendly design. Sustainable innovations
and visual makeup came together to produce a living space
that cultivates the relationship between nature and humanity.
Including such creative innovations as a garden roof
of sedum plants and a geo-thermal heating and cooling
system, the structure exhibits the mind for sustainability
that was involved in the design. In following with this theme,
much of the building uses natural materials in its composition.
The interior design of the chapel incorporates “dam-

Jesuit Residence
Recognized as
Eco-Friendly, Awarded

aged European beech” rescued from the site to produce
furniture, fusing interior and external elements within the
design, said the AIA jury, according to the Hartford Business
Journal.
The Jesuit Community Center, located across from Bellarmine Hall was built a year ago and is home to 12 resident
Jesuits. Working in conjunction with University officials and
the Jesuit community, the Gray Organschi Architects of New
Haven were recognized for their “original and eco-friendly
designs,” according to the Hartford Business Journal, and
received a 2010 New England AIA Design Award and two
2010 Connecticut AIA honors. In addition, a 2010 Builder’s
Choice Award was granted to the structure in recognition of
the builder and landscape architect, PAC Group of Harwinton, and Reed Hilderbrand of Watertown, Mass., respectively.
“It’s great that the Jesuit Residence was recognized
because it validates the smart environmental changes that
are being made to the campus on an institutional level,”

said Zachary Gross ’13, head of the Student Environmental
Association.
Rev. Mark Scalese, S.J., associate professor of visual
and performing arts, who was integral in putting together
the plans for this project told the Minuteman, “We wanted
our building to be both a home to us and a public place of
welcome, to be both traditional in its craftsmanship and
innovative in its use of sustainable materials and resources.
We think our architects and contractors succeeded wonderfully in achieving all of those goals.”
Those who contributed to the structure’s overall design
sought to achieve an environment for religious men that
would foster both reflection and an engaging atmosphere.
“The center reflects an intuitive connection between the
mission of calm, meditative, and community spirit with a
plan that reflects spatial balance between individual and
communal life,” the AIA jury told the Minuteman. “The
building captures views; the use of natural materials is confident and tranquil.”

“Hello my name is Jared Lee Loughner. This video is
my introduction to you! My favorite activity is conscience
dreaming; the greatest inspiration for my political business
information. Some you don’t dream – sadly,” started one of
the videos, which went on to describe a “dream” that hinted
at his plans. Assistant professor of Communications Michael
Serazio has spoken to various media outlets and labels this
type of social media, “murderer-generated content.”
Serazio who attended high school in the Tucson area
and had a close friend in the shopping area at the time of
the shooting has been involved with the developing story in
news outlets like MSNBC, NPR and the New Haven Register.
In an article by Serazio for The Atlantic, he gave other
examples of where this type of “premediated” material has
been seen before. Three years ago a YouTube video titled,
“Jokela High School Massacre,” appeared, the creator killed
eight people before himself. The Virginia Tech shooter
also had YouTube clips that showed deranged and violent
behaviors. By broadcasting these negative messages to the
world Loughner and these other celebrity craving psychotics “circumvents the traditional gatekeeper intermediaries,”
Serazio said.
Serazio believes that it is difficult to determine a remedy or strategy to help prevent any future media instigated
tragedies like the most recent Arizona story. “Rather than
asking the question, ‘what did the media do to Jared Lee
Loughner?” we might need to begin asking ‘what did Jared
Lee Loughner do with and through media?” Serazio said.
Moving forward, Serzaio suggests a conversation on
political discourse to evaluate the importance of the news

that surrounds us each day is needed. “As news consumers,
we need to get out of our “information cocoons” and expose
ourselves to more cognitive dissonance in our media diet
and introduce more doubt into our political views,” he said.
By doing this Serazio hopes to help create more kindhearted beliefs that will provoke less hateful views of our
political opponents and less violence.
For right now, family and friends are the ones who can
provide the best help to these troubled individuals. According to Serazio, close acquaintances can help prevent any
more violent activity by acting as watchdogs and addressing
the individual as they notice obscure behavior, especially
those publicly showcased on the Internet.

An undated photo of Jared Lee
Loughner released by the Pima
County Sheriff’s Department.

On Jan. 8, 2011 the
nation watched in horror as
news networks scrambled
to report on a shooting in
Tucson, Arizona. Emerging details revealed that
six people were killed,
including a 9-year-old girl
newly elected to her class
council, a federal judge, a
man who dove in front of his
wife to save her, and other
heroes with similar stories.
Congresswoman Gabrielle
Giffords, was the target of
this assassination attempt,
she was shot at point blank
range in the head leaving her

and 14 others critically injured.
In custody is 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner, a former
student who was suspended from Pilma County College
after found to be mentally unstable and having numerous
complaints lodged against him by fellow students. As the
details emerged, a YouTube account linked to Loughner
showed anti-government ramblings in videos posted, as well
as foreshadowing clues for the Tucson tragedy.

Dr. Michael Serazio
is an Assistant Professor of Communication at Fairfield
University. He
holds a B.A. from
the University of
San Francisco, M.S.,
from Columbia
University, M.A.,
Ph.D., from The
Annenberg School
for Communication University of
Pennsylvania.

Contributed Photo

The Mirror | Week of Jan. 19, 2011

News

Page 3

Perlitz Saga Ends With Over 19-Year Sentence

By Dan Leitao
Managing Editor

Fairfield University
alumnus Douglas Perlitz was
sentenced to 19 years seven
months today by a New Haven
federal judge on December 21
2010, for sexually abusing minors in Haiti. The 235 months
Perlitz will serve in prison is
the maximum desired by the
prosecution, and will include
10 years of probation.
Perlitz, an honorary commencement speaker, had been
facing anywhere from eight to
Contributed Photo nineteen years in prison after
pleading guilty on August 18,
2010 for one count of traveling with the intent to engage in
illicit sexual conduct to Haiti.
What started as a story of the embodiment of Jesuit
ideals and Christian charity ended in catastrophe today
with the sentencing of Perlitz. Perlitz, who founded Project
Pierre Touissant (PPT) in 1997, ran the project until the
Haitian Fund board of directors removed him after allegations of sexual assault surfaced in 2008.
PPT took in children from the streets of Haiti and
provided them with meals, sports activity, basic classroom
instruction and access to running water for bathing. The
Haiti Fund was formed to aid in fundraising and overseeing the operations of PPT in 1999. Initiated by Rev. Paul
Carrier, S.J., Fairfield University employees and Fairfield
and Westchester County residents, the Haiti Fund began

Fairfield U.
Honors
Martin Luther
King Jr.
Throughout
the Week

actively fund-raising in the community as well as on the
Fairfield University campus.
Last week the defense released a document, which
explained a “dark” relationship that Perlitz had with a
Fairfield University priest. The relationship started at his
time as a Fairfield student and continued past graduation.
The defense explained this document was not to excuse
Perlitz’s actions but to shed light on his abusive past.
The sentencing hearing involved the personal stories
of six Haitian boys, who Perlitz had abused, and two former
employees of PPT. The New Haven federal courthouse was
filled with about 130 people including Perlitz’s victims,
community members, Haitian reporter, lawyers and abuse
advocates.
The boys gave detailed accounts of the abuse in Creole,
the native language of Haiti, which was translated in the
courtroom. They recounted personal accounts of forced
oral sex and sodomy, at Perlitz’s personal residence called
Bel Air, in which Doug Perlitz gave them cash and threatened if they told anyone that he would kick them out of
PPT.
The closing arguments of both the defense and prosecution lead to dramatic crowd reactions.
The defense attorney, William F. Dow III, argued that
Perlitz had contributed positively to society and was met
with scoffs when he stated, “The worst you can say about
him is that for twelve years he took people who were, as
your honor said, lower than dirt and lifted them up.”
The lead prosecutor then vigorously attacked the
defense’s claims of good deeds by Perlitz arguing, “there
can be no leniency and no sympathy for a man who has

Wednesday January 19
Multi-Faith Celebration of Diversity
7 p.m. - 8 p.m. Egan Chapel
The Multi-faith Celebration of Diversity
is an inspirational gathering featuring a local
preacher as well as music and readings by
students of diverse religious backgrounds.

Peace Festival
8 p.m.-9:30 p.m., BCC LL
The Peace Festival transforms the lower
level of the campus center into a cozy, peaceful venue offering student performances and
light refreshments for all to enjoy. Plus, a
limited supply of Peace Festival t-shirts will
be given to the first guests!

hidden behind the community he exploited…The fact that
he is a narcissist and the fact that he liked under age boys,”
received forbidden applause from the back rows of the
courtroom.
Prior to his sentencing Perlitz made personal remarks
and apologized in Creole to the Haitian boys and members
of the community. As he spoke, someone in the crowd
cried out, “How many boys did you rape?” Perlitz paused
and then continued with his prewritten apology asking for
forgiveness, but saying that he understands if the boys do
not accept his apologies.
United States District Judge Janet Bond Arterton ruled
that the prosecution had met the requirements for an upward departure, which meant that Perlitz would be looking
at 188 to 235 months in prison. Judge Arterton explained
that the defense arguments that Perlitz had provided positively to society was akin to digging a well to provide water
for people who need water, then poisoning the well and
still expecting to be praised for digging the well.
She continued that, “the intentions are offset by the
fact that he became a predator.” She then reminded Perlitz
of a letter he wrote to a friend in which he had said, “be
careful what you promise a child cause you have to keep it,”
as she then pronounced the full sentence of 19 years and
seven months.
When he completes his prison sentence he will face a
10 year period of supervised parole, register as a sex offender, be forbidden to be in areas largely populated by children
under the age of 18 and have monitored computer usage.

Thursday January 20

Friday January 21

Convocation
3 p.m.-4:30 p.m., Quick Center Kelley Theater
Dr. Frederick “Jerry” Streets will be the featured speaker at this year’s Convocation. A native of Chicago, Dr. Streets is well known in this
region and beyond for his ongoing clinical and
pastoral work and commitment to be of service
to those in need.
Awards Dinner
6 p.m.-9 p.m., Barone Campus Center Oak
Room
Student, faculty, and community award
honorees are celebrated along with the Connecticut Post essay contest winners. The essay
contest awards three Bridgeport middle school
students whose essays best convey the theme
of Creating a Ripple of Hope as it relates to their
school, home, and community.

Youth Leadership Workshop
10 a.m.-1 p.m., Barone Campus Center
Oak Room
Local middle school students join
together for a workshop focusing on Martin
Luther King’s legacy.
Movie and Panel Discussion: RFK in
the Land of Apartheid: A Ripple of Hope
2 p.m.-3:30 p.m., Gonzaga Auditorium
The film highlights the role of students
and universities in challenging oppression
as it explores the relationship between
global conditions of inequality and local
commitments to change. The film showing
will be followed by a panel discussion.

He’s a Little Bit of Everything, Charlie Knights

By Annie Rooney
Executive Editor

Contributed Photo

Charlie Knights should
have a bed somewhere in
the BCC because he never
leaves. With access keys to
the campus center, Gonzaga
auditorium and the Levee,
he’s the guy you want to
walk home with from the
library on a cold night so
you can cut through the
BCC on your way back to
the Quad. Coming from
Quincy, Mass., Knights is a
junior, the FUSA president
of his class of 2012, building
manager for the campus
center, office assistant to
student activities and sometimes picks up shifts at the
information desk.
Charlie do you sleep?
“Maximum five hours each
night.”

5. Library spot: upstairs at a left side table ove
looking Bellarmine Hill
6. Sleds down rugby hill over Bellarmine Hill.
“It’s shorter, steeper and better”
7. He’s pro-Verizon, a proud BBM user
8. Was written up once, in the BCC

18. Has yet to find his perfect fit of jeans
19. Rugby player- second row and prop
20. Winter lover because it’s easier to sleep when it’s
cold
21. Has the same birthday as George Washington
Feb. 22

9. Favorite class taken at Fairfield so far, Islam in
America

22. Has lived in 20 different houses

10. Double major in International Studies and
Religious Studies

23. Had to break up a fight between a random
woman and Sodexo worker in Jazzmans

11. Minor in Latin American and Caribbean
studies

24. Witnessed a retired female professor walk into
the glass door to the BCC and break her nose.

12. Stole a pack of peanuts when I was five
“My mom got pissed”

25. Patriots fan
26. His full name is Charles Henry Knights III

13. Hates The Mirror office
(even though it’s noticeably cleaner)

27. Three season athlete in high school

2. Went to BC High School
14. Wants to work for the government
3. His random freshman roommate transferred
after their freshman year together in Gonzaga

15. Sold tuxedos in high school

28. Goes to 2 meetings and works at 1 of the 3 jobs
each day, except on Wednesdays.
“I take Wednesdays off, its like having a weekend in
the middle of the week”

News

The Mirror | Week of Jan. 19, 2011

Best of Campus Crime Beat

Feb. 7, 2005
3:06 p.m. A deer put his head through
the window of St. Ignatious Jesuit Residence. Blood and deer fur were found in
the vicinity.
Monday, Sept. 20 2010
9:59 p.m. License
plate was reported
stolen from vehicle
parked in the facilities
parking lot.
Sunday, Sept. 26 2010
9:45 a.m. Broken
window of a university
vehicle was reported.
Cause believed to be an
errant tennis ball.
Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010
2:52 p.m. A nonstudent was
asked to leave campus after disruptive behavior at the Career Fair.

Friday, Oct. 1, 2010
11:14 p.m. Unknown male threw a
can of beer at police, which led to discovery of underage drinking at the Townhouses. Students referred to Student
Conduct.

Mirror Meetings 6:30 p.m.
Every Wednesday
Lower BCC

Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010
6:48 p.m. Suspicious person sighting was reported on campus. Person
was identified and no action was taken.
Student attempted to urinate at the steps
of Townhouses. Student found to possess alcoholic beverages. Student
referred to Student Conduct.
Sunday, Oct. 17, 2010
2:49 a.m. A student jumped
through the rear porch window of a townhouse. The student was referred to Student
Conduct and a university
carpenter was called.
Friday, Oct. 29, 2010
12:07 p.m. Students dressed
as Storm troopers were found
pointing facsimile weapons at vehicles at checkpoint.
Friday, Nov. 5, 2010
2:20 a.m. Male found urinating on
Townhouse. Person identified and documented by DPS.
Friday, Nov. 12, 2010
3:45 p.m. A Coca-Cola delivery
truck ran over a fire lane sign on 42 Bellarmine Road. Maintenance was notified.

The Mirror strives to report accurately in all its stories.
If you encounter any errors, please contact Editor in
Chief Peter Caty at (203) 256-6529 or
info@fairfieldmirror.com

Affiliated with:

ASSOCIATED
COLLEGIATE
PRESS

News

The Mirror | Week of Jan. 19, 2011

Page 5

The Mirror | Week of Jan. 19, 2011

Opinion

Opinion | 7

Online

Send your thoughts to
info@fairfieldmirror.com.

editorial

Peter Caty |
Annie Rooney |
Dan Leitao |
Elizabeth Connors |

Editor-in-Chief
Executive Editor
Managing Editor
Opinion Editor

Editor Elizabeth Connors » info@fairfieldmirror.com

fairfieldmirror.com

Still Seeing in Black and White

Covering Hard News,
Local and National

When something tragic happens on Fairfield’s campus,
it is hard to find three degrees of separation between yourself
and the event. This means that as the University’s student
newspaper, it becomes a very sensitive matter to cover.
Though have an obligation to cover news on campus, our
responsibility is not to sensationalize tragic news only for the
benefit of journalism.
As journalism students we are taught to write honestly
and unbiased. Nonetheless, it is one thing to sit in a journalism class and learn the importance of being factual, accurate
and timely, but yet another when real misfortune happens
on campus and human emotions must be separated from
journalism responsibilities.
Fairfield is a small school and an email quickly becomes
conversation. Text messages are sent and rumors begin to
spread in a matter of minutes as people try to find out as
much information as possible. Discerning the truth becomes
tough as people generate their own information among
friends.
As journalists, we want to break the story, but not at
the price of misinforming the public. This means that we
must wait for confirmation from authorities and check facts
through and through before we can publish. Thus, we can’t
help but see similarities between covering our own tragedy
on campus and the media’s coverage of the shootings in
Arizona last week.
When an important story breaks, news sources all race
to cover the story, yet readers and viewers find multiple different stories. National Public Radio released the story that
Gabrielle Giffords was killed while The New York Times reported that eight were killed in the Arizona shooting, which
are both incorrect pieces of information. As innocent and naïve readers get a hold of this news they become misinformed,
which consequently spirals into a domino effect of possible
consequences.
Big news sources like The New York Times, MSNBC and
Fox News work around the clock reporting and publishing
news on the Internet. With sites like Twitter and Facebook,
news is thrown out into the world for anyone’s eyes to read,
and when that news is wrong the source loses credibility.
Here at The Mirror, we follow trending news and report
on campus news each week. Since the campus is a secure
place and Fairfield is a safe town, we’re rarely ever the source
to break the news, unless there’s a shooting at The Sea Grape.
However, when we have the opportunity to cover an important story that’s close to home, we strive to bring readers the
news that is bias-free and without a slant. The media needs
to stop taking sides and start getting back to its purpose of
serving the people.

Lately students have been noticing an increase in Police presence at the Beach, even when dealing with insignificant issues.
Have an opinion? Send it to opinion@fairfieldmirror.com.

New Year, But Not a New You
By Courtney Todd
Contributing Writer

The arrival of a New Year is commonly viewed as a
clean slate, full of new opportunities and possibilities. It
marks a time of renewal when people feel inspired to make
positive changes in their lives. Some of the most common
New Year’s resolutions are to lose weight, quit smoking, and
to perform better in school or at work, but do New Year’s
resolutions really work?
With the freshness of a New Year, people believe they
can be successful in achieving their goals, but after a week
or two they might begin to feel that their efforts are not
turning out the right results and they give up without really
giving it a chance.
It’s not that New Year’s resolutions are stupid or can
never work, because they can. Surely there have been
plenty of people who have had success. The effectiveness of
a New Year’s resolution really depends on the person’s level
of determination. It takes commitment and patience to
keep it going, and someone who isn’t willing to give it that
probably won’t end up sticking with it.
New Year’s resolutions are brought to light even more
with the help of the media, which definitely plays a large
part. Commercials on television also do a pretty good job.
Some of the most common are the ones advertising weight
loss programs such as Weight Watchers and Nutrisystem,
and the prescription drug Chantix made to help people
stop smoking cigarettes. Magazines devote sections in their
December and January issues to discussing New Year’s
resolutions and how to keep them. It is common sense that

Syllabus Week
The first week of classes means no major assignments, tests or homework, and just introductions, syllabi and being let out early. And after
not seeing your friends for a month, it's the
perfect time to reconnect. They will be plenty of
time for work,

Icy Sidewalks
Due to the cold, the rain on Tuesday quickly froze
and created a sheet of ice covering every inch of
campus. While other schools in the area were
closed or delayed, we were not, and in the morning
before campus was sufficiently salted, students and
professors were spotted wiping out all over paths
and parking lots. Things were better by the afternoon, but in retrospect, after falling multiple times
climbing the hill to Canisius, and the number of
classes already canceled by professors, we all would
have been better off with a few extra hours of sleep.

if people feel encouraged to keep going there is a higher
chance that their resolutions will work.
Then there are the ones who don’t see the New Year as
anything special or as a time to make resolutions. People
might feel that the start of a new school year or a big move
is their new year and a more appropriate time to make resolutions and decisions for the better.
Let’s be honest, it is unrealistic to think that life is
going to dramatically change or that problems are going
to disappear overnight just because of a specific date on
a calendar. Life is still life and things obviously carry over.
New Year’s resolutions are certainly not for the lazy. People
can’t assume things will just change on their own, it takes
time and effort.
I do believe that New Year’s resolutions can work and
more power to those who keep them because it isn’t always
easy, but I don’t believe that the actual New Year is the time
to make resolutions, nor do I make specific resolutions
myself. There is always the possibility of failure and disappointment when making any resolution at any time, so why
set yourself up? Many people avoid making resolutions for
that very reason, it might sound cynical but it’s true. The
more realistic thing to do would be to look out at the start
of something new with a positive attitude and hope that
things go well.
None of this is to say that people should never make
New Year’s resolutions or that they are bad and will never
work, but people shouldn’t make resolutions just to make
resolutions. They should make sure that the resolution
actually means something because if it isn’t taken seriously
then it most likely won’t work out.

Notable and Quotable
“If one digs a well to supply water to those who have
never had water, and then that person poisons the
water, was building that well a good deed?”
- Judge Arterton on the reason for Doug Perlitz's maximum
sentence
(For more on what happened at the sentencing read the story on pg. 3)

The Mirror welcomes the opinions
and contributions of its readers:
Letters to the editor must be timely and submitted in person at BCC 104, or by email at opinion@fairfieldmirror.com
All letters to the editor that are appropriate will be published either in print or on www.fairfieldmirror.com
The Mirror reserves the right to edit letters and articles for content, length and grammatical error. Letters should be
free of obscenities and personal attacks, and should contain correct and factual information.
Letters should not exceed 500 words.

Opinion

------Sophomoric------

Learning to
Walk Again
Celeste Tallarico
Contributing Writer

It seems as though the most important life lessons are
not taught by people older and wiser than us, but through our
experiences…by falling down.
When we are younger, through instinct we learn how to
stand on our own. In the beginning our parents are there to
hold our hands just in case we fall, but they slowly start to let
go and we learn how to walk and to stand by ourselves. However, as we get older there is not always going to be someone
there to hold us up.
In the past year the many “falls” I have had taught me not
to take Advil on an empty stomach; and if you make the effort
to walk all the way across campus to see a guy, just knock,
chances are he wants to see you just as much as you want to
see him. I have also learned that you cannot rely on someone
to make you happy. Just like you cannot rely on your parents
to hold you up forever. People are going to let go and chances
are if you cannot stand on your own when you are younger,
you will never be able to when you get older.
Lastly, I have learned that life is like a revolving door,
people come in and out of our lives constantly. Some will stay
for forever and others will only make brief appearances; but
just because your story together was not an epic novel does
not mean that it was a worthless short story.
Some people just can’t stay around forever and I’ve
learned that is okay. As much as it sucks to watch them pack
up and walk out the same door they came through, we just
have to know that the ones who are supposed to be in our lives
will always find their way back no matter how far down the
road that may be.
This past year I completely lost my belief in the idea that
everything happens for a reason, in the serendipity of life.
However, after not so quietly parting ways with 2010, I am
slowly starting to realize that maybe our lives are in fact out of
our hands and that things do happen for a reason. Though the
reasons may seem kind of hazy at the time, eventually the dust
will settle and everything falls into place.
We just need to understand that we do not always have
control over when someone is going to let go.
So what do we do? Let our worlds crash and burn around
us, or do we try to stand and essentially re-teach ourselves
how to walk? The choice will always be up to us.

By Alexandria Hein
News Editor

On January 8, 2011, the government that Gabrielle
Giffords, a Congresswoman out of Arizona, dutifully serves
failed her. It failed to protect her, the six citizens who were
killed, and the 14 other citizens who were wounded, not to
mention the witnesses who are forever scarred.
Even worse is that the state of Arizona, which Giffords
dutifully and proudly represents as the first Jewish female
representative, is also a major offender in this case. Giffords,
a pro-gun advocate who cheered a U.S. Supreme Court ruling
that struck down a ban on handguns in 2008, and called gun
ownership “an Arizona tradition,” should have been better
protected.
How did the United States and Arizona fail their Congresswoman? Not by allowing citizens to purchase guns,
because this is not an argument for an overall gun ban. It
was by allowing 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner to purchase
a semi-automatic weapon with an extended clip in the first
place.
According to a TIME article, the Gun Control Act of 1968
forbids vendors from selling weapons to mentally ill individuals. This law only works if the states do their part to report
mentally unstable citizens to the registry, and not all of them
are keeping up. Arizona is not even the worst state on the list.

The Mirror | Week of Jan. 19, 2011

Page 8

From Buzzed to Broken:
Seeing Racism on a Night Out
By Peter Caty
Editor-in-Chief

I’m beat, and it’s a Thursday night. Running on three
hours of sleep from Tuesday night at the newspaper
and feeling the heat from coffee, brandy and beers the
Wednesday night before, I settle down at 7:30 p.m. on the
couch to watch a documentary. "Cocaine Cowboys" is the
name.
I don’t even make it past the first drug shipment, and
doze off. An hour later, I wake up to carnage and gore on
the screen. Some cocaine cowboys made mistakes and
were killed. Bloody faces keep popping up on the screen.
Nauseated, I grab some turkey and cheese from the fridge
and scarf it down.
Slowly, my roommates begin to file back into the
house. The house, located at Fairfield Beach, has been
called the Morning Wood for as long as I can tell. Maybe
it’s because all the walls have wood paneling, but I’m going to assume there’s something else to it.
Usually we start with mixers, which usually contain
some combination of Mountain Dew, Sprite, Cool-Aid
powder, water and the cheapest vodka we can find. Who
says 12 bucks can’t buy happiness?
It’s harsh, real harsh, so we finish and move to the
case of beer. Schaefer is the name, and it tastes as watery
and smooth as any cheap beer does.
This night starts off like any other, but I’m warning
you now, this ending is different.
Now we’re off to the only bar around, the Sea Grape. I
have no cash, and my roommates have none to cover me. I
swear off the bouncer for the steep cover charge and walk

This night starts off like any
other, but I'm warning you
now, this ending is different.
away. “Wait,” he yells, “just go in for free.”
Talking with two girls and myself. Someone tries to
dance with one girl. He’s black. She gives me the look.
I laugh and do nothing. I saw him as a human, not as

How Loughner was able to purchase the weapon should
remain a mystery to anyone, but unfortunately it was faulty
filing. The National Instant Criminal Background Check
System (NICS) had no record of Loughner being labeled
mentally ill, so no flags were raised. While he was initially
denied based on the judgment of the clerk, he was able to
fool the next into thinking he was mentally sound.
Loughner was suspended from Pima Community College after scaring his fellow students, and professors. The only
way he could return was if he had “mental health clearance.”
Experts nationwide have labeled videos that he posted on his
MySpace account as deranged and delusional. Prison workers are saying his eyes look, “dead – he’s pure evil.”
Instead of hearing a call to action for the states to begin
doing their part to aid the NICS, what I found myself having
to do was to defend the Republican Party, the 2nd Amendment, Fox News and Sarah Palin.
The Palin argument had base; her crosshairs map to
point out districts that were targets for midterm elections
could be considered bad taste, but given who it was coming
from, an avid hunter and gun rights advocate, it doesn’t seem
uncharacteristic. MSNBC ran a similar map in 2004 that
featured “target areas” where “enemy George W. Bush” was
carrying less than a 10 percent margin of voters, yet nobody
was quick to recall this map.
“Call of Duty: Black Ops” was just released; should we
leave video games out of this argument? Facebook’s option of

black. She gives me the look again. I pull her over and
start dancing.
Feeling bad, I go over and introduce myself. Corey is
his name. I teach him a handshake that only my roommate
and I know, and he digs it.
Later, we exit the bar and are shuffled away from the
street by the cops. I head over to Corey and his friends.

I laugh and do nothing. I
saw him as a human, not as
black.
They are all black. We hang out, talk, and I mention that he
should keep coming down to the beach. Two of my friends
seemed shocked that, not only are there black people in
Fairfield, but that I am talking to them.
More jokes and laughter as we all try to put each
other’s numbers in our phones. Suddenly, I feel one friend
tugging at my arm. I can’t look at her out of fear that Corey
will know she wants me to leave.
Coincidently, we all have BlackBerrys, so we trade
BBMs, and after some struggling to figure out our phones
(Even though I’ve had mine for three months), I give into
my friend’s tugging and leave them with her.
“I thought we were going to get shot.”
“What about that Bridgeport gang threat?”
“Why did you talk to them?”
These were the first words that came out of her mouth
as we walked away.
More people who witnessed agreed and said that I
should be more careful about who I talk to.
Yes, I admit that I did think about the gang threat
when speaking to them. If I wasn’t protective of myself, I
wouldn’t be very smart. But as soon as I talked to Corey
and his friends, that thought vanished.
Then I said:
“You are all racist.”
More yelling ensued, and I left the party. That intense
buzz I was feeling from eating a small dinner was gone and
I was left shocked and broken standing on the porch of my
friend's house.

“tagging” photos is a small crosshairs; do they have to change
their style? The gunman has not been cooperating, and officials are mounting evidence that he is anti-government, not
siding with Republicans or Democrats. He himself wrote that
the government can’t be trusted, so what political side does
that put him on? The protesters outside of a Bush rally in
2004 were holding signs calling for his assassination but they
weren’t labeled as harshly as the Tea Party currently is.
Pundits from networks on both sides can be accused
of spreading false outrage and embellishing on details or
far-fetched ideas. What they work for is ratings, and the better
they do, the more they are paid. What has happened to the
media is disgusting. Journalists should be held to certain
standards. What I read in a New York Times editorial was
hypocritical, placing blame for this country’s hate solely on
the Republican Party. It is a sign that it will be a long time
before any kind of armistice in the media will be reached.
As a member of the media and having almost completed
four years of my Jesuit education in Journalism, where the
New York Times was continuously hailed as the number one
source to consult, I am offended by it.
I am extremely encouraged by what I have seen and
heard from Congress about toning down the rhetoric. The
government agencies in charge of background checks and
other federal security owe it to law-abiding citizens, government employees, and the entire United States to step up and
begin doing their job.

The Mirror | Week of Jan. 19, 2011

Features

Features | 9
Second Semester: A Fresh, New Start?
Online

Send your thoughts to
info@fairfieldmirror.com.

Editor Devon Porrino » info@fairfieldmirror.com

fairfieldmirror.com

Syllabus Week Shatters New Years Resolution

By Georgia Lobb
Contributing Writer

Eat better. Drink less. Hit the gym. Study more.
Sound familiar?
By ringing in the New Year, you or
someone you know likely made one or
more of these resolutions. And in the
solitude of Winter break, there are few
distractions to keep one from straying far
from these goals.
But after the long break, the long
awaited first week of spring semester
comes like a light at the end of the tunnel:
Syllabus week.

Syllabus Week Celebrations
“You could say syllabus week is like
a black hole that sucks up your morals,
dignity and good health,” said Conor Foley
'13. “You drink as if it is going out of style
and pay little attention to anything else
but having fun with your long lost friends.”
With all the hype of being reunited
with friends and being out of the watchful eye of parents, the first week back at
Fairfield has a connotation for being one
of the least academic.
And unfortunately, in the free spirit
that accompanies syllabus week, resolutions such as better grades and a healthier lifestyle almost
always get put on the back burner.

Skipping Out

One sophomore male on academic probation
reported that his resolution was to get better grades. He

class.”
Dr. James Simon, chair of the English department
disagrees.
“Many professors have a limit on number of cuts, and
week one usually counts, so that compels
[our] attention,” he said. “Most professors
take it very seriously as an opportunity to
set a tone for the course, a level of expectations.”

Keeping Resolutions
“My resolution is to go to the gym
five says a week,” said Maggie McCuen,
'13. “But it’s going to be so easy to break at
school because it’s cold walking from Bellarmine, and I have a fear of missing out on
everything.”
The good news? If you happen to
break your resolution during the hustle
and bustle of the first week back, you aren’t
alone.
“75 per cent of those who make New
Year's resolutions are sticking to them after
one week,” said a recent article in The New
York Times. “But this drops to 40-46 per
cent after six months.”
If do you skip that class Thursday
morning, order Domino’s at 2a.m., or leave
Tebben Lopez/The Mirror
your running shoes in the back of your
closet for a couple of extra days, don’t panic.
also reported that even so, his focus on his classes might
It’s the thought that counts, says The Times. “Those
dwindle during the first week of school.
who make resolutions are still more likely to change their
“Syllabus week is a joke in the classroom,” he said.
behavior than those who want to change but do not make
“You’re going out every night and probably not going to
a new year's pact at all.”

Ignorance That Admissions Accepts: Part 1
A Short Series of Stories Of Prejudice Acts On Campus
By Annie Rooney
Executive Editor

Contributed Photo

Mark Elibert: a normal college student convicted of being in a gang based on the color of his skin.

It was Halloween night at Fairfield
University. Many undergraduates anticipated the FUSA sponsored pop-hit artist
Jason Derulo concert in Alumni Hall
while Fairfield’s Public Safety anticipated
a gang threat.
In the weeks prior, threatening rumors
circulated the campus that a Bridgeport
gang initiation ceremony was to take place
Halloween night. Speculation said the candidates had to rape and murder a Fairfield
female student.
Despite the threat, the musical act
would still go on.
The concert had been planned
since summer and students were notified mid-September. Tickets had been
bought and everyone was ready to go,
costumes and all.
Proper speed bumps were set up
around campus to slow all traffic and extra
security was stationed at the concert venue, expected to search every person and
bag that attempting to make its way into
the venue. Public Safety was armed and
entrances to campus were closed at 4:30
p.m., except the main surveilled entrance.
Mark Elibert a sophomore at Fairfield,
was excited for the show. Mark is black
and enjoys the few times where Fairfield can hold a social event that attracts

students of all colors, shapes and sizes, to
dance and have a good time. Mark attended
the concert but wasn't wearing a costume.
He dressed casually in his typical
Fairfield outfit: a red Fairfield hoodie and
a Marlins fitted cap. Thick black framed
glasses and flashy sneakers accessorized the
casual outfit. After the 3-hour show, Mark
made his way up to the campus townhouses
where many other students headed for
post-concert festivities.
Mark was alone as he walked up one of
the grassy hills toward the townhouses and
heard a group of 4 or 5 white girls approaching him. It was hard not to notice the group
of girls stumbling through the lawn with
their heels and obnoxious character doing
more harm to their image than good. But
unexpectedly the girls veered off to the right
as the distance between them to Mark grew
shorter.
“Oh, he’s probably part of the gang,”
Mark heard one girl loudly slur as they
failed to walk unnoticed past their lonesome fellow classmate.
Mark immediately froze in a state
of shock. Did he really just hear what he
thought he heard?
Yes, he had heard the weeks-long
rumors that the notorious “Bloods” were
making their campus debut that night but
having his red Fairfield sweatshirt and dark
skin mistaken for a ‘sects’ uniform was so
ignorant it was almost laughable.

Features

The Mirror | Week of Jan. 19, 2011

Brew Master: A Taste of the South

Page 10

Abita, a New Orleans' Native Beer, Hits as Hard as Mardi Gras

By Jorge Espino
Beer Columnist

Abita's Many Faces:

The world class cuisine and music of New Orleans
are not the only unique products of the Crescent City’s
history and spirit. On my recent visit to the Big Easy, I
discovered the roots of Jazz, the staples of Cajun food, the
best hot sauce, and the local spirit which I enjoyed over a
cold bottle of Abita and a bowl of Gumbo.
I always make sure to sample the local beer

Contributed Photo

•
•
•
•

Abita "Turbodog":

"Jockamo" IPA
• Similar to New Castle
"Turbodog" Brown Ale • Has more body and
Abita Amber
flavor than New
"Andygator" High
Castle Brown Ale
Gravity

wherever I travel. Beer is an integral part of cultures
throughout the world. Music and language are the soul
of culture. Beer and food is the body where it resides.
Beer implies sharing. We listen to music and chat in
our own colloquial ways over the beer that defines us. A
“Nawlins” native reaches for Abita.
Abita brews a full line of varieties. Of their many
brews, I only had a chance to try their “Jockamo” IPA,
“Turbodog” Brown Ale, Abita Amber, and “Andygator”
high gravity. Although I won’t go into
each beer, I will comment on the “Turbodog” Brown Ale. It’s a good brew that is
similar to Newcastle, but has more body
and flavor. I would recommend it to any
beer lover on their way to New Orleans.
Perhaps Abita’s best selling point is
that it gives back to its needy hometown.
Abita created the “Restoration Pale Ale”
to help rebuild the city after Hurricane
Katrina.
More recently, Abita brewed up a
charity to help clean up the BP oil spill.
They came up with a pilsner called “SOS,”
or “Save Our Shore.” An impressive 75
cents is donated with each bottle sold. To
date, over a quarter of a million dollars
has been raised.
Unfortunately, you won’t find Abita
in this area. According to the web site, the

Abita Gives Back:

• Created "Restoration
Pale Ale"
• Created a Pilsner
known as "Save Our
Shores"
• 75 cents is donated with
each bottle sold

closest retailer that carries it is in New York. If you see it
at a store near home, I’d highly recommend trying it out.
Even if you don’t like it, you’ll be happy to know
that your money is going to a good cause. Visit www.
abita.com/learn/giving-back.php for more information on the beer and how they are helping Katrina and
BP victims in need. Grab an Abita and let the good
times roll!

Contributed Photo

The Mirror | Week of Jan. 19, 2011

Online

Send your thoughts to
info@fairfieldmirror.com.

Arts & Entertainment| 11
fairfieldmirror.com

Editor Andoni Flores » info@fairfieldmirror.com

Poetry

for Peace

Photo illustration by Andoni Flores
Photo by Peter Caty

By Andoni Flores
Entertainment Editor

We get dumber as we get older. We
become more selfish and self-absorbed and
slowly forget the important things in life,
only to hopefully rediscover them in old age.
I realized this as I sat listening to elementary and middle school kids reading poetry
they had written about peace in the Kelley
Center at Fairfield University’s annual Poetry
For Peace event. Behind me sat the father
of one of the kids, fighting with his wife in
one of those “I’m yelling at you but I need
to whisper because we’re at a public event”
voices and failing miserably because I could
hear everything he was saying. The father
was upset with his wife because when it was
their child’s turn to read her poem, the poor
girl shied away from the microphone and
spoke softly so no one but the people sitting
directly in front of her could hear her. It was
clear that she had stage fright, but the father
had it in his head that it was his wife’s responsibility to tell the girl to move closer to
the microphone and her failure to interrupt
their already frightened child mid-poem to
correct her in front of a room full of people
was apparently the end of the world for him.
“I can’t believe you!” he kept hissing between his teeth with his jaw clenched. More
children read their poems to the audience
and walked back to their seats without any issues yet the father had forgotten what he was
doing here in the first place. He kept hissing
at his wife and insisting that they needed to
go. “Grab your things, we’re leaving,” he told
his daughter. More hissing, more hissing,
more hissing, I was feeling uncomfortable
and after a few moments I realized why. The
man behind me was really stressing me out.
I really didn’t like the way he was talking to
his wife and I really didn’t like what he was
putting his daughter through. All at once the
irony of the situation dawned on me. Here I
was trying to listen to children read poems

about peace (the same topic his daughter had
written about) and here was a man disturbing the peace and missing the entire point
of the event. I debated for a minute whether
I should say something or not. Finally I had
had enough.
“Excuse me sir,” I said to him “I don’t
mean to be rude, but I’m trying to hear poems about peace and you’re being anything
but peaceful, can you please just relax and
peace?” I repeated “just peace” a few more
times as I watched the dumfounded look on
his face turn into embarrassment, “Thank
you” his wife said to me. It seems I had made
him understand the irony or at least embarrassed him enough to keep quiet for the rest
of the event so that I could enjoy it in a stressfree environment.
This was the third year that Fairfield
University was putting on the “Poetry for
Peace” event. It had actually originated in
SUNY Potsdam, in upstate New York but
had made its way to Fairfield University via
Dr. Nels Pearson who has been co-directing
the program ever since it was initiated. The
concept was born as a way of getting people
to change their “entrenched perceptions” as
Dr. Pearson put it, and see things in a different light. What better way to accomplish a
said goal than through the voice of children.
As a community outreach program, Poetry
For Peace has had some amazing results.
This year alone they had over 1,100 submissions from elementary schools and middle
schools throughout the Fairfield-Bridgeport
area. Then the judges, mostly Fairfield
professors with some help from Fairfield students, pick out the best poems and compile
them in a book also called “Poetry for Peace”
and feature first, second and third place winners from 1st through 8th grade as well as
the Judge’s favorites and several honorable
mentions. Finally the poems in the book are
showcased during MLK week.
Not to sound unnecessarily dramatic,
but I was honestly astounded by the wisdom
and beauty of the poems. One fourth grader

named Anneliese Hruschka wrote a poem
entitled “Possible Predictable” that read as
follows:

“Possible, predictable
Connecting with each other
Hoping to find love
To find each others
HEART”
My jaw dropped when I heard her read
her poem. How was it possible that this little
9, maybe 10-year-old-girl had managed to
figure out what we as college students still
haven’t realized?
Another irony dawned on me. When we
think that someone is being really selfish, we
often call them childish, but this is inaccurate.
In fact it is the adult, which is the most selfish.
Children’s hearts are inherently selfless and
naïve and it’s only as they grow older that
they learn to care for themselves more than
others and to put emphasis on the material
rather than the abstract and beautiful. We’re
so connected via Facebook and other social
networking services that we fail to make real
connections with each other. We look for love
in all the wrong places, drunk and under the
impression that the other person is physically attractive enough to be a good match.
How often have we confused sex for love and
drunken nights for friendship? How often
have we failed to let someone get to know us
for fear of rejection? Possible, predictable. It
happens all the time.
The more I think about the girl’s poem
the more I believe that the word “hoping”
should be read as “struggling” because the
more we connect through shallow artificial
means such as the Internet and cell phones
the more we struggle to find each others’
hearts. Maybe it was an accident that this
little girl put those words in the order she
did, and maybe she didn’t intend to blow my

mind, but I think she was on to something.
Maybe we really do know everything before
we’re born and simply struggle to remember it all the rest of our lives as the ancient
Greek philosophers once believed. Maybe
the younger we are the closer we are to the
truth. Maybe.
She wasn’t the only one who stuck
out to me, student after student the simple
wisdom that spilled from their mouths was
unbelievable. There was a boy who’s poem
reminded me so much of the Buddhist belief
for salvation that I had to stop him after the
event and tell him to read Hermann Hesse’s
“Siddhartha.”
Another poem by a fifth grade girl
named Olivia Eichrodt stuck out to me. The
truth in her poem was so blatantly obvious
that it’s no wonder that we fail to realize it on
a daily basis. Her poem called “Peace” went
as follows:

“It does not mean to have no
noise, trouble or hard work
It means to be in the middle
of those things and still be
Calm in your heart”
How true it is that we often mistake peace
to be the absence of things instead of finding
it within ourselves. We often look for quick
solutions to our ailments in the form of pills
or programs to “fix” what we think is wrong.
If we can’t sleep we take a pill, if we can’t stay
awake to study we take another. When we rely
on the outside world to solve our problems
it’s little wonder why the problems never
cease. It’s only when we realize that we can’t
change the world that instead the change
has to come from within ourselves as Gandhi
once said, that we begin to find actual peace
and happiness. Such insight of the world and
she’s probably only 10 years old. I’m definitely
amazed and those who missed out on this
event missed some true revelations.

Arts & Entertainment

The Mirror | Week of Jan. 19, 2011

West Side Story Stays True to Roots

Contributed Photo

By Amber Nowak
Associate News Editor
Musical theater enthusiasts can
rejoice over the return of the Jets and
the Sharks to Broadway. The most
recent presentation of West Side Story,
which opened in 2009, gives the
53-year-old production a fresh and
current energy appropriate for a 21st
century revitalization of the classic.
Fans of the original will be pleased to
know that this rendition accomplishes
this feat without altering much from
the Stephen Sondheim and Leonard
Bernstein collaboration hailed as “one
of the most memorable musicals and
greatest love stories of all time.”
This rendition holds true to the
original by retaining the traditional
characters, choreography, sequence,

and renowned score including “Tonight,” “America,” “Maria,” “I Feel Pretty,” and “Somewhere.” The twist? An
infusion of Spanish in both dialogue
and songs makes the story come to life
in a way it has not before. The use of
Spanish language in the performance
makes the characters more believable.
It draws the audience directly into
the drama, so we can experience the
heated tension between the two gangs,
the contrast between the warring
cultures, and the desperation of the
lovers to find peace.
The instillation of Spanish dialogue and lyrics does not detract from
the performance, which otherwise
sticks to the original perhaps more
closely than necessary. For example,
the film adaptation was on the right
track by moving the far more intense

number “Cool” to after the deaths of
Bernardo and Riff, in place of the more
light-hearted “Gee, Officer Krupke.”
This is an innovation that the musical
rendition would have done better to
follow.
Overall, the singing is stellar and
the dancing, a main focal point of
West Side Story productions, is good
quality. The talent of the cast in these
areas makes up for a noticeable lack
of sharp action in between dance
sequences, which is adverse in such a
typically dynamic show.
Still, the reinterpretation of this
classic makes the cut. New developments are is subtle enough to be
considered improvements, while preserving the appeal of what was such
a groundbreaking masterpiece in its
time, and still considered so today.

Page 12

*The First and Only End of Thought
Peace is the spontaneous and absolute end of thought.
When all the wars end and all recial tension evaporates
like a pond on Mars and the concept of greed ceases, you
are still thinking of Hitler...thinking of Judas...thinking of
Truman
No matter the sitation, thought can disrupt peace.
Thought must give way for unbending, unwavering, uncontested peace.
But the end cannot be seen.
It has to happen suddenly so that you don’t think about
not thinking, like a comet from space or a strike of lightining.
And then never think again; never ponder rain or hatred,
pleasure or guilt of indulging in pleasure.
Just feel nothing and think of nothing, including not
thinking.
An un-comprehended peace can be experienced in this
manner, the only type of peace that can be obtained.
It is actually more of an observance from the outside
world of a state of a state of peace rather than peace you
are presently feeling due to the fact that in order accomplish peace you cannot feel.
The comfort of always having your mind with you regardless of any situation life puts you in is a comfort devastating to part with, which is one of the burdensome thoughts
your ability forces you to have.
However, in order to reach peace, you need to abandon
reaching anything.
Rather, just say farewell to reason and philosophy.
Say a farewell to imagination and memory.
Put the bad thoughts behind along with the good ones.
And never activate them again, nor remember them.
Peace isn’t always the best mindset for a person.
Suffering can bring feelings of success after conquering it;
it makes the bright spots of life brighter and more needed.
Peace can become monotonous and can eradicate the
need for challenge or competitive nature.
That is why peace fits the people furthest from it the best.
The peple who just want to end where the sidewalk ends,
and never move forward.
-Garrett Ballard
Grade: 8

Fairfield University is in the
Northeast. That means it is cold, icy
and covered in snow. I can’t stand
people who complain about any
of those three things because you
chose a school in the Northeast. The
trick is to embrace the snow instead
of fighting it.
Pray for Snow Days: The thing
about a college is you don’t have to
drive to school which means snow
days are not that common, so when
they happen they are really awesome. Whether your childhood
method was putting a wooden spoon
under your bed or pajamas on inside
out, it is still completely appropriate
in college.
Sledding: While bringing a true
sled is allowed there is nothing better then using whatever item you
can find or steal as a sled. Trays from
the cafeteria, old pizza boxes and
tops of plastic boxes are always good
ones to start with. Bellarmine Hill is
really the place to go sledding on this
campus and even though you might
get yelled at for sledding there, it is
worth the risk of a strict reprimanding. If not, trekking all the way down
to the small hill by Pepsico Theater is
always an option.
Ski Trip: If you have a car and
ski gear you can brave the roads
and head to the small mountains

SNOW DAY = FUN DAY

in Conn. or Mass. They are usually
pretty cheap. My favorite is Butternut
in Mass., it’s $20 for a weekday pass
for college students and also the reason I don’t have class on Friday.
Also, North Face has a great App
for iPhones that shows you which
mountains have the freshest snow.
Dress For Success: Tuesday I
saw somebody walking in converse
sneakers on sheets of ice. That is just
stupid. I’m not a fan of converses to
begin with but really, in the middle
of January when the world is a sheet
of ice, does that sound like a brilliant
idea? I think not.
Snow also means that February
is coming and the iPhone will soon
be on Verizon so BlackBerry Girl is
secretly excited. I’m pretty sure I saw
her Mirror computer history and she
has been reading macrumors.com as
much as I have, which is pretty sad.
I’m not sure what The Mirror
will do when it becomes iPhone vs
iPhone, then again we have already
changed the name of the column
five times, so what is one more name
change?
- Sent from My iPhone

Welcome back! That is if you were
able to get to the BCC for your copy of
The Mirror this week, due to the excessive
amount of snow we have here. I hope your
break was wonderful and now that you are
back in your dorms, or other various living
arrangements, I want to take some time to
discuss the many perks of being snowed in
on campus, or at the beach.
Everybody should have an emergency
stash of brownie mix or cookie dough
saved for winter snow days, what better
way to start of the year than by giving your
2011 goal a sweet treat? You should also
stock up on plenty of alcohol, seeing as
Fairfield Taxi has a hard enough time getting you to the beach during the spring or
early fall, chances are they’re not making it
during a snowstorm. Seniors, the cops that
park at the Point seemingly have an issue
with people who “walk” too close to their
cars, I am sure they would see your car
skidding and accuse you of reckless driving. Just not worth it.
RA’s will probably be on high alert in
the dorms during this time for the noise
so disguise it as a PJ party and throw on a
movie, make sure it’s a horror or comedy
so that you have something to blame the
loud voices on. If you’re at the townhouses
or the Beach, there is nothing more that
a girl will appreciate than finding her car
brushed off, or her walkway shoveled.
(Thank you to our neighbors at the Sweet
Life and The Naked Mormon! Much appreciated!)

Alexandria Hein

Guys, if you’re looking to get invited
over for some spiked hot chocolate during
these frigid months, it’s time to step up
your game. Stealing the spare mattresses
from your dorm and then running like hell
from Public Safety might be the kind of
hero she’s looking for this winter, if not, at
least you’ll give her a good laugh.
You guys have the perfect opportunity
this season to impress us by being your
goofy, immature selves, and this may be
the only time a girl may ever consider that
a turn on. Use it to your advantage; don’t
waste away a snowday by sleeping, that
putrid I’ve been laying in bed all day aura
of a room is impossible to disguise. Don’t
spend the day waiting to see an update
on Steve Jobs’ health status either, ahem
iPhone boy. Get to Bellarmine and wreck
havoc on that beautifully groomed lawn,
time to put Public Safety’s new fancy
shmancy vehicles to the test, nobody said
they were made to off-road.
As for the off-campus seniors, we
know of a few good places off campus for
sledding, and as always, the Grape is a
fine substitute for winter sports. I’m sure
you can roll down the humps on Fairfield
Beach Road after a few drinks and it will
suffice any winter activity need. Best of
luck to you this season boys! Lord knows
you’re going to need it after the girls got a
taste of what the boys at home are like.
- Sent from My Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

The Mirror | Week of Jan. 19, 2011

Coffee Break

Page 16

Fairfield Mirror Madlibs _____

Christmas break started out nice and (adjective)__________. When I walked through our big
(adjective) __________ door, smells of sweet (fruit) __________ pie tickled my (body part) __________.
Drool (verb ending in –ed) __________ down my chin and I dropped my (adjective) __________ bags
and ran into the (room in house) __________. The pie was fresh out of the oven but too (adjective)
__________to eat, I was (emotion) __________ as I went upstairs to start unpacking for the rest of the
(part of day) __________.
The next day I woke up at the crack of (noun) __________ to go Christmas shopping with my (family
member) __________. It was as annoying as a (noun) __________ figuring out where to go but the day
ended up being (adjective) __________. We went to the mall and boy was it (adjective) __________. I
had to get a present for my (adjective) __________ cousin Ben so we went to (store in mall) __________.
I had a hard time (verb ending in –ing) __________ through all the merchandise but I finally found the
perfect (favorite toy) __________. I knew he would (verb) __________ it.
When we left the mall a (adjective) __________ (noun) __________was waiting to take my spot. It was
(adjective) __________ and I was very (emotion/) __________to leave and go to (place) __________. Dad
was cooking (animal) __________ for dinner and I knew it was going to taste (flavor) __________. After
two days of being home I can’t (verb) __________ it!

sert himself with some impact performances.
As the New Year rolled along, so did the Stags
– in the form of blowout MAAC victories over
Marist and Saint Peter’s. The winning streak stood
Heading into this season, the Fairfield Uniat 11, a seemingly arduous task given the multiple
versity Men’s Basketball team had high aspirasetbacks experienced over the winter break.
tions and expectations alike; win the MAAC conFairfield then traveled to bitter rival,
ference tournament and advance to the NCAA
Loyola, for a conference contest on Jan. 14. A
tournament for the first time in over a decade.
hard fought game saw the Stags long winning
At the midway point of the season, the
streak snapped by a single point, 66-65. NeedStags are in prime position to accomplish
ham led the charge with 14 points while Barboth of those goals. As of printing time, the
row contributed 13 points and 5 rebounds.
Stags boasted a 13-4 record overall, with a
The Stags got back on track right away
MAAC conference record of 6-1. The team
with a tough 65-57 road victory over the
was able to enjoy an 11-game win streak
Rider Broncs on Monday, Jan. 17. Needuntil a one point loss on the road to Loyola
ham had a breakout game with 27 points
halted the remarkable run last week.
and 5 assists, including 6 three-pointers.
While all Stags were enjoying their winAs things stand now, the Stags are well
ter breaks at home, the Men’s basketball
on their way to a sustained postseason run in
team spent the majority of theirs both on
the MAAC. However, the team needs to stay
campus and traveling throughout the east
healthy and maintain the consistency of playcoast, taking on teams from several differPeter Caty/The Mirror ing at a high level night in and night out.
ent conferences. All games, other than the
Tough tests await the Stags with conCoach Ed Cooley directs his players during the Nov. 13, 2010 game at Mohegan
Sun against Sacred Heart Pioneers. The Stags won 62-45 against the Pioneers.
away contest at Loyola, resulted in a victory.
tests against Siena, Iona, and an ESPN
Throughout this impressive run, the
Bracketbuster game in February.
team has been able to enjoy a slew of noteworthy
of whether he steps on the court again this season.
The team needs the support of the student body
performances, both individually and as a whole.
Next, the Stags were slated to travel to the Uniin order to reach its goals this season. The players and
During finals week, Fairfield was able to hold
versity of Florida on Dec. 28 for a nationally telecoaches dedicate a large part of their years to making these
off rival Holy Cross by a score of 71-60. Ryan Olanvised matchup. The school was reportedly going
goals a reality – they deserve our support at the games.
der ’12 highlighted the effort with a double-douto make $80,000 to be used towards Ed Cooley’s
Cooley, Needham, Hawkins and the rest of the
ble consisting of 17 points and 10 rebounds.
salary and to bolster the recruiting budget.
program have repeatedly said in the past that the team
A few days later, the Stags were able to validate their
However, a massive snowstorm stranded the
plays its best basketball when there is a strong showwin with another over respected out-of-conference foe,
stags in Connecticut, and the game was called off
ing from the Fairfield student section. This is a great
Vermont. Olander, Derek Needham ’13, and Warren
without a replay. Coach Cooley expressed his protime to jump on board – the Stags are one of the faEdney ’11 tallied 15 points apiece in a 67-59 triumph.
found frustration at the time, noting that several alvorites to win the conference this year and bring
The low-points of the break both happened to octernate travel arrangements were considered, but in
in several transfers and highly touted recruits next
cur nowhere near a hardwood floor. First, Greg Nero
the end there was no way to get down to Florida.
year in a team that is going to be scary good.
’11 suffered another setback in his ongoing battle with
However, the team came home for two victories
Take a few hours out of your week to take in a
mono and his status for the rest of the season is in jeopover Army (68-61) on New Year’s Eve, and Niagara
new era of Stags basketball – the Ed Cooley era.
ardy. Nero’s determination to overcome this illness over
(70-48) on Jan. 3. Freshman forward Maurice Barrow,
Fairfield next takes the court Friday night at
the last several years should be commended, regardless
the reigning MAAC Rookie of the Week, began to asCanisius. Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m.
By Tom Fitzpatrick
Countributing Writer

Freshman Maurice Barrow drives to the net against Loyola on Dec. 5, 2010. Barrow earned player of
the week after helping the Stags win three straight games last week, and started in every game.
By Jack Meagher
Contributing Writer
With the 2010-11 Men’s Basketball season well underway, the casual observer would have noticed the Stags
streaking out to a 13-4 record.
As the Stags have been dominant in conference play,
posting a 6-1 record in the MAAC, much of this can be attributed to the performances from several underclassmen.
One in particular, Maurice Barrow ‘14, earned MAAC Rookie of the Week on Jan. 10 as a result of his stellar play down low.
Barrow recorded his first career double double with 11 points
and 14 rebounds in a home victory against Niagara.
Previously, Barrow had muscled his way to 11 rebounds in another win against Army on New Years Eve at
Alumni Hall.
Checking in at 6’5”, Barrow provides a powerful presence inside that Fairfield has benefited from since he was
inserted into the starting lineup on Dec. 5 against Loyola,

InsideSPORTS:

ripping off a nine game win streak.
Success is nothing new to Barrow after a successful career at Christ the King High School in New York City, where
he was named the Most Valuable Player of the CHSAA Class
AA championship a year ago.
Even more impressive is that he is dominating inside
just one year removed from high school.
On Monday night against Rider, it was another day at
the office for Barrow, pulling down 13 rebounds and adding
11 points in 37 minutes.
As conference play intensifies, the importance of a low
post force like Barrow will become more important with
each game. As many consider the MAAC a guard league,
having a player with the size and skills of Barrow is a true
luxury in every sense of the word.
A year ago, it was a tandem of freshmen guards Derek
Needham ’13 and Colin Nickerson ’13 carrying the Stags to
terrifying heights; now additional help has arrived in the
form of Maurice Barrow, down low.

Men's Season Review p. 18 3x5 P. 17

The Fairfield University Women’s Basketball team is the
second best defensive unit in the nation allowing only 48.4
points per game.
That’s only 0.1 PPG behind West Virginia for the national
top spot and nearly an entire point better than #2 UCONN. “It
has to be a consistent force,” coach Frager said. “More often
than not it has been. The kids have done a tremendous job
trying to do what we’ve asked.”
The squad has held nine opponents to 50 points or fewer in their first 16 games and excluding an 89 point struggle
against Hofstra, the Stags limit foes to 45.7 points per contest.
However, as enticing as all those defensive statistics
sound they have not translated into wins of late.
Fairfield dropped their third straight game on Sunday to
fall to 3-3 in MAAC play and 10-6 overall. “It’s really hard to
take it in,” Desiree Pina ‘12 said, “especially because it’s our
third straight loss. It’s frustrating.”
That record would suggest mediocrity.
While the Stags are lighting up the defensive side of the
court, through the last three games, their offense has been
dim.
In those contests they are shooting 35 percent from the
floor including going 15 for 69 from behind the arc, barely
good for a 22 percentage.
“There’s definitely concerns. As much as we’ve struggled
scoring it in terms of shooting the ball, I think we’ve turned
the ball over an uncharacteristic amount,” Frager said.
“We’re talking about the unforced turnovers where the
mistake is simply ours, where we’re either dribbling the ball
off our toe, forcing the pass that’s not there. Sometimes when
you struggle shooting the ball a little bit you try to start forcing things on offense and I think that’s where we’re at right
now.”
The advantage of playing an 18 game schedule is that it
affords a team the opportunity to improve during each game.
For that reason, this slide might have some benefits for the
Stags.
As a young team, the inexperienced players have a
chance to get the offense spark needed in close games.
“We have to learn from this. We have to come into the
gym on Tuesday and be very positive,” Frager said.
Over the road trip the team saw contributions from
freshmen who have not been afforded that opportunity.
Alexys Vazquez ‘14 and Katie Cizynski ’14 saw more playing
time, with Cizynksi scoring a career high 12 points and grabbing a personal best six rebounds in only 14 minutes, which
almost ignited a 12 point comeback on Sunday.
The Stags know if their offense gets that one hot streak,
combined with their offensive prowess it can help propel a
team to the championship. “In MAAC play there’s not a heck
of a lot that separates the teams so there’s not a big margin for
error,” Frager said.
They are now in fifth place in the conference with 12
games yet to play.
Last year they were in ninth through 10 games. But
they found that magic and found themselves playing for the
crown.
This year they hope to find that same magical spark, and
Frager saw some of it in the Manhattan game, “I thought the
effort to get back in the game when we were down 12 was outstanding. I thought we showed tremendous heart.”
33 percent of the MAAC season is in the books, and with
a few breaks and easy layups the Stags could believably be 5-1
or even 6-0.
“If you looked at the schedule ahead of time, you would
probably think we’d be anywhere from two to four wins at this
point, I think we have a shot to be 5-1 and we put ourselves in
that position so it’s a little bit frustrating,” Frager said. “3-3 is
certainly not the end of the world.”
“What I noticed about our team is that when we’re down
we never give up. You could see that last year when we went
on that nine game winning streak, but also we’ve been down
a lot of times and we’ve always continued to fight back,” Pina
said. “We just need to keep a lot of optimism.”
The Stags will try to get back to their winning ways this
weekend as they welcome Canisius and Niagara to campus.
The Stags swept these two teams on the road and Frager
knows how important these games are, “We need to win our
home games,” he said. A couple of wins and going over .500
can really add a sense of confidence to this young team.